There may be times when the user of a mobile station does not want to respond to various communications received by the mobile station. For example, a user may attend a movie and does not want to respond to messaging service messages (e.g., simple messaging service messages ‘SMS’, enhanced messaging service messages ‘EMS’, and multimedia messaging service messages ‘MMS’). Traditionally, the received messages go unresponded to for a period of time.
Another example of a time when the user of a mobile station may not wish to respond to incoming messaging service messages is when the user is operating an automobile. In fact, mobile station usage while driving has been banned in at least one state and it is predicted others will follow soon. Not only is talking without a hands-free device prohibited, but e-mailing and texting (i.e., sending messaging service messages such as SMS, MMS, and EMS type messages) have also been banned.
While a delayed response may be acceptable in some cases, it may not always be desirable. Hence, it may be useful to develop systems and methods for a mobile station user to notify people who send them messaging service messages that the user is busy and can not reply to the message until a later time.